I have been writing about the grandmothers in our family tree since August of 2012. Beginning with "A is for Anna" each entry introduced you to a different grandmother. Telling the Grandmother stories was a fun way to share my research with family and friends. Now I am looking at our Revolutionary War ancestors, their service records, the story of their families and of course the stories of their wives, our grandmothers. After all, "Who's Your Grammie?" is about our grandmothers!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Jonathan Scott (1784 - 1870) A Reckend of Ages

On this page is a
handwritten note listing the names and ages of the family of Jonathan Scott
and his wife Sarah Merritt Scott. In his own handwriting Jonathan Scott reports
his birth dateand those of his
wife and children in a document that is part of the Revolutionary WarPension Recordof his mother-in-law, Anna Ayers
Merritt, who was themother
ofSarah Merritt, Jonathan's wife.
The Revolutionary War Pension Record for the widow of Thomas Merrittcontains family records of Thomas and
Anna Merritt's children and their families.

Jonathan Scott
and Sarah (Sally) Merritt came from Bennington, Vermont.They first lived in Warsaw, New York
before moving to Troy, Pennsylvania.When they arrived in Troy in 1811 it is said that there were only three
houses in the town.

Sarah Merritt
Scott was born January 1, 1786. She attested to her date of birth in
the Revolutionary War papers filed on behalf of her mother, Anna Ayers Merritt,
to claim the pension due her for the service of her husband, Thomas Merritt, in the Revolutionary War.

A Reckend of Ages

Jonathon Scott Was
Born Sept the 24 1784

Sarah Scott Was
January the 1 1786

Thomas M Scott
Was Born April the 15 1807

Zina L. Scott
Was Born Auggust 3 1809

Caroline Scott
Was Born January the 28 1812

Sarah Ann Scott
Was Born July the 16 1814

Emely Scott Was
Born Auggust the 24 1816

Dan Scott Was
Born Febury 14 1818 and died the 15 1818

Hosea Scott Was Born
Auggust 7 1820

George Scott Was
Born June 1 1823

Martha M Scott Was Born November 20 1825... Her name has been incorrectly reported to be Nathan by others who have looked at this record. She married Leonard Van Horn and provided a home for her sister Emily for over 30 years.

This
document provides a definitive birth date of September 24, 1784 for Jonathan
Scott. Most historians have used
the date December 24, 1784.It is
probable that Orrin Peer Allen in recording the family of Matthew and Sarah Scott in his book "Descendants of William Scott of Hatfield, Mass.
1668-1906 and of John Scott of Springfield, Mass., 1659-1906"recorded a baptism datefor Jonathan.

That
said, I want to clear up a long standing myth regarding Jonathan Scott. Family historians have long thought that he was the son of Zerah Scott. But his name does not appear in the list of children born to Zerah and Sybil Scott as
isrecorded inThe Revolutionary War pension application records of Zerah. The records contain an
account of Zerah's children as recorded in the family Bible. Zerah's children were:

Elijah
Scott, born April , 1787

Sarah, born Mar 3 1790

Claria, born Nov. 23, 1793

Veraborn, Sept. 20, 1798d.Jan. 5, 1813

Betsy
Scott, born April 5, 1802

Joseph Spenser Scott, born June 5, 1807

Since Zerah and Syble were
married August. 3, 1786 in Bennington, Vermont, our
Jonathan Scott, born September 24, 1784, could NOT have been his son.Zerah, born October 8, 1765 in Bennington, Vermont was his oldest brother. There was an age span of about twenty years between these brothers. They were the sons of Matthew and Sarah Scott. I believe that Zerah may have taken in hisyounger brother to be reared by him. Jonathan very well may have been
raised as the oldest child in Zerah's family and he may have looked to his older brother as his
father.Therefore the confusion in
the reported family history.Jonathan Scott's son, Hosea, was my great great grandfather. He married Sarah Angeline Chauncey. Their daughter Helen married Charles Estep, whose daughter Zilpha was my grandmother.

It is estimated that Jonathan and Sarah died before 1860 as they appear on the 1850 census, but not on the 1860 census. Family
histories note that Jonathan is buried in the oldcemetery at Troy. I have not located the grave or a
transcription of gravestones in that cemetery.If anyone has knowledge of such, please contact me.

Sources:

Written family history passed down to me from my grandmother Zilpha Estep Hughes.